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Ending the No Otter Zone

In 1986, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began removing sea otters from the shoreline of southern California and relocating them to San Nicolas Island in hopes of establishing a second viable population. They also created a “no otter” zone south of Point Conception – and sea otters found there would be removed and transported back north of the zone’s boundary. For years, the program caused more harm than good to sea otters, and kept them from expanding their natural range. But in December 2012, after much outreach from Defenders and our supporters, the “no otter zone” is finally no more.Read more on our blog>>

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Sea otters in California received some great news in September 2011 as Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation re-establishing the California Sea Otter Fund, the main source of funding for sea otter research and conservation efforts in the Golden State.